Scott Berkheiser, 57, who has Alzheimer's disease, sits for a portrait at his Venice, Fla., home on April 5. Insurance denials delayed Berkheiser’s first Leqembi infusion a few months until last December. He said the drugmaker eventually agreed to give it to him for free while he makes co-payments for the infusions. “It was a little crazy,” he said. “It seemed like it was kind of a game that must make sense for some monetary reason.”
April 17, 2024
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Drug that may slow Alzheimer's off to slow start
The first drug shown to slow Alzheimer's hit the U.S. market over a year ago, but sales have lagged and diagnosis and treatment remain complicated. Major hospital systems have taken months to iron out plans to administer Leqembi, which requires regular infusions and imaging scans. Some health insurers have rejected coverage, and doctors expect that some patients will hesitate to take Leqembi. Doctors say it will take years to learn more about how the drug works outside the controlled studies that led to its approval. In the meantime, they say much work must be done to improve diagnosis.